Toronto, Ontario – March 26, 2015 – After 48 grueling hours of coding and an intense day of presentations to a panel of judges, the Canadian Open Data Experience (CODE) hackathon winners were announced at a ceremony held at The Burroughes Building in Toronto. The Grand Finale event marked the final step of the hackathon presented by XMG Studio Inc. and the Government of Canada.

CODE is a hackathon that focuses on using open data to accelerate innovation and improve Canadians’ lives by connecting people to information and services. This year competing teams demonstrated this focus through apps that re-imagine useful data from open.canada.ca for Canadians looking to make informed choices about their career, health and business decisions.

About 1300 tech enthusiasts from across the country competed during the hackathon. From a field of over 300 teams, the Top 15 were invited to present their ideas live to a panel of industry experts. The Grand Prize was awarded to Team Niew Labswith their application Career Path by Niew Labs. The application is aimed at helping Canadian youth discover, research and choose future career paths. The team consists of Jigdel Kuyee, Rob McDiarmid, and Daniil Shevelev of Toronto and Lev Perelman of Vaughan, ON.

“CODE 2015 has been an inspiring experience, showcasing a wealth of Canadian talent, from developers and designers to budding entrepreneurs,” said the Honourable Tony Clement, President of the Treasury Board and official facilitator of CODE. “All participants demonstrated the potential open data has for job creation, opportunities in the high tech field, and future innovation.”

The winners were picked from the top 15 entries of over 300 teams from across Canada. They were selected by a team of industry experts, evaluating each application by its user experience, use of open data and market potential.

“Congratulations to this year’s CODE winners, who represent the best of Canadian-made talent. Their original applications showcase the unlimited potential of open data—an important part of our government’s plan for Canadians to take advantage of opportunities in the digital age,” said the Honourable James Moore, Minister of Industry and CODE facilitator. “We will continue to provide Canadians with the tools and skills they need to excel in an increasingly digital economy.”

XMG Studio Inc. is an award-winning developer and publisher of mobile games. Founded in late 2009, XMG has developed a track record for innovation excellence in mobile gaming including the release of critically acclaimed games downloadable on your iOS, Android, and Windows Phone devices. Based in Toronto, XMG is one of the largest indie mobile game studios in Canada. Named as one of the top global mobile games developers to watch by popular media, XMG is focused on providing creative expression through gameplay for all fans of fun.